Little White Lies - Philippa East

A missing child/missing person story. Not another one you say? Aren’t there enough? Nope. Not when an author can find a variation and a twist on that theme. In this story it is the psychological aspects of such an event that dominate this tense narrative from several perspectives which offer a textured reading experience.  

It’s every parents’ nightmare isn’t it? A split second distraction, lack of concentration and, boom, your world can change for ever. And the lives of those around you. But here the missing child is found right at the beginning of the book. It doesn’t appear that the abduction is ‘straightforward’. I know such things are never straightforward but there’s a dynamic here that gets into your head. I’m being careful not to give anything away.

As a wordsmith I love the title and all it implies when you read the book. A clever touch indeed. I enjoyed the structure of the book. The majority of the story offers us the perspectives of Anne, the mother of Abigail, the abductee, and Jess, Abigail’s cousin, with a minimal contribution from Lilian, Anne’s sister. The relationships between all of them are pivotal to the unravelling of the complicated circumstances accompanying the missing and the finding of Abigail.

Anne and Lilian are sisters, their relationship appears to be a close one but how much is the nature of that closeness based on control? Jess and Abigail are cousins. Again the narrative speaks to us of a close relationship where the two are more like sisters, twins even, than cousins.  But how far is that closeness mutual or even healthy? Abigail has two brothers who've spent their lives hearing about this missing sister. So her return is awesome for them in the true sense of the word.  Anne and Lillian’s husbands - Robert and Fraser have significant parts to play as the drama unfolds. Relationships on all sides are put to the test. 

Abigail is 8 years old when she disappears. She is fifteen when she is found. Given that the challenges of ‘normal’ adolescence can be pretty bewildering at times Abigail is floundering under the unbelievable pressure of readjusting to life and a family who really don’t know her anymore. Emotions run high, understandably. 

But it is Anne who holds the key to exactly what happened the day Abigail went missing. Hints and suggestions are offered throughout the book building up into a crescendo of suspense that explodes like a volcano and the reader is left aghast, almost, at the exposition. Everyone is laid bare and we are privy to numerous truths and reveals before we hit the last page of the book. 

What impressed me most about this novel was the author's keen awareness of the psychological impact on everyone involved in Abigail's disappearance, from Abigail, herself, poor girl, to her young brothers. No one escapes unflawed. Like the ripples in the pond or the layers of an onion the situation unravels with truths and inadequacies laid bare. 

This is an auspicious debut, a tightly plotted story with some complex characterisations and well paced narrative that should have readers delighting in this new talent. 

My thanks to Harper Collins HQ who gave me a copy of the book and I was fortunate enough to have it signed by the author herself! Always special for a book nerd like me!